Had a great first impression at North Italia (Brea Mall) at their grand opening today. My visit was just a quick happy hour reconnaissance visit but the entire bar staff including my server Helena were very friendly and pleasant! The open layout of both the bar area and main dining area was very fresh and welcoming. I had waited for months for this location to open in the newly expanded outdoor area of the Brea Mall. My only food review comes from the delicious seasonal (Banana) Butter Cake with cane topped with vanilla ice cream! A must try dish!! I will be back to sample more of enticing menu!! Congratulations North Italia on your newest location!! read more

North Italia - Seasonal (Banana) Butter Cake - Italian Near Me - Brea, California

Very expensive. My pasta meal was very good but the salad ordered with steak was awful. First came almost raw meat, sent it back and second serving was not much better. Very disappointed read more

First time to North Italia, wanted to see what the hype was all about. We don't normally go out but it was our 30th anniversary, so why not eh? First off, if you are coming here, make a reservation. I honestly believe that might be the best way to go to check them out. The restaurant is huge and busy. Nice size bar and lots of seating inside and outside. My wife and I sat outside on the side of the restaurant. They have tall tables out there and tall chairs, which I was not that big on the tall chairs. The host was a little too shy and was quick to drop us off at our table and was gone quickly. So at first I was a little worried that this was not going to be a good experience. But then our waitress came along and was just absolutely wonderful, her name was Liz. Very bubbly and great personality a gem. So we got it started with of course some calamari and heirloom tomatoes, and Buratta (I might be wrong on the name of that) had a rum and coke (Bacardi) we ordered the braised ribs with mushroom risotto. I got the chicken Parm with rigatoni (rigatoni was a little over cooked) but Both were delicious. We got a Sunday for dessert to share, and I ended it with an espresso (sorry but it was to watery) usually espresso has a nice crema on top this was strong but just wasn't what I was hoping for. The experience as a whole was great and when we can, would love to go again. So just if you are wondering because we definitely were. The name North Italia doesn't mean it's food just from north of Italy. They actually have dishes from all over Italy. What I understand is that the two gentlemen who own it are from scottsdale, Arizona and lived north of each other. Wanted to do something to be proud of their family roots and opened up an Italian restaurant. Now I believe they are owned by the Cheesecake Factory is what I've read. Nice ambiance, great service, good food it's a winner for me. read more

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My Friends and I were there for my Birthday. The food was amazing. I mean every thing.The small plates , then my meal. Delicious. I also ordered a non alcoholic beverage. So good. Oh and the dessert. Delicious. Damon our Waiter was absolutely amazing. He knows the menu, plus gave us suggestions. Then the Host Tye was good as well. Customer Service. From the time we walked in. Until we left. Great. I will be back for sure. read more

North Italia - Spicy Rigatoni vodka . I added a meatball and ricotta cheese. Delicious - Italian Near Me - Brea, California

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Just left from a lovely birthday celebration at North Italia. Our first time there. Cannot complain about one thing! Thanks Brea Mall for this lovely addition. Food - Excellent. Too many great choices. Ambiance - Excellent; casually comfortable. Service- Excellent +! Damon (our server) and Tye (our host) were STELLAR!!!!!! Attentive, kind, proactive & professional! HIGHLY RECCO! È stata un'esperienza fantastica (translation: "It was a fantastic experience") read more

Food cannot be judged as Italian food because it is not !! Service was slow and inadequate. Beautiful place and decor , but unfortunately it's not a museum. Pasta dishes are to be reinvented and cooked according to the tradition. Sorry read more

Me & my sister first time comes in this restaurant. Waiting time is about 10 minutes. We sat down for about 10 minutes but no body came to our table. So I called the hostess asked who is our waiter? No one came to us yet. Finally the waitress came, I noticed she was talking and laughing with customers across from us since we walked in. I ordered Kale and goat cheese salad, which was unbelievable salty. My sister ordered spaghetti, it was also very salty.She had to put some water in it to dilute the spaghetti. Both of us are very disappointed. Will not be back again! read more

It's a new restaurant so things are not quite perfect. Regardless, parking is nearly impossible and we could not get a reservation from 4 to 8. We waited an hour outside. Tables were clearly available but they were limiting seating. The food is good but not great Italian. Bruno's near by is as good and there is no parking reservations drama. Josh from Irvine/Amsterdam was a great bartender. read more

Been wanting to try North Italia fir quite awhile. So instead of going to dine in..I decided for door dash delivery..my body wasn't up to dine in after a trying work week..and if I had a drink..I'd never make it back..lol.. some many options on the menu..do narrow it down to truffle garlic bread covered with ricotta..yum..meat bologese..Sunday lasagna with short ribs..and meat ball ragu..door dash took less than 30 minutes..perfect my taste buds were watering..the food was still warm and comes in nice plastic containers to reuse..lots of flavor in this unique Italian food. Cant wait to go and sit and enjoy the atmosphere.. read more

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We visited the new Brea location this afternoon and it is awesome! It's so light and airy with a really cool inside/outside bar and an inviting comfortable patio. We chose to sit at the bar. My favorite appetizer is the White Truffle Garlic Bread - pure heaven! They cut Italian Bread into bite-size cubes and top it with Olive Oil, Melted Cheese and Herbs and bake it in a small skillet. Then it's topped with a big scoop of Truffle Butter. The Truffle Butter is extremely rich and tasty. A little goes a long way. It's served in the stainless steel skillet that it's baked in. I could make a meal out of this. The preparation of the Salmon entree is the best I've ever had. It's moist and juicy on the inside with a nice crispy outside. I had the Hash Potatoes for my side dish and it was beyond my expectations. They make the Hash Browns into small rounds (think donut holes) and deep fry them. Thin, crispy outside with tender Hash Browns inside...Brilliant! My friend had the Mussels and said they were prepared perfectly. Our server was knowledgable, friendly, had great recommendations and checked-in with us several times during our meal. This is my new favorite North Italia location. Great ambiance with a large patio. We have been to other locations and it's always been a great experience! Bravo North Italia Brea! read more

After an impromptu visit to Brea Mall we decided to have dinner at North Italia restaurant. Arrived at prime dinner time around 6pm or so, with a wait time of 35 minutes. A table was ready for us after 25 minutes or so. North Italia is a modern Italian restaurant with classic dishes with freshly made pasta as the star of the dish. We ordered an Old Fashion and a Sicilian Margarita. Both cocktails were solid drinks and we would order again. Our starter included a freshly made Focaccia bread with a ricotta pesto accompaniment. The starter was delicious and a great way to start our meal. For our main courses we ordered the crushed meatball ragu and the pasta with panchetta and sausage with a spicy vodka sauce. Both dishes were exceptional with the freshly made pasta converting the dishes into stellar dishes! Our main course did take some time to get to us due to several large parties. We were not in a hurry and appreciated the excellent customer service from Casey, our server and Elliott. Both acknowledged and apologized for the delay in us getting our meals and provided us a complimentary dessert and truffle focaccia. For dessert we enjoyed the butter cake with ice cream drizzled with a delicious sauce. North Italia was definitely busy during our visit, bustling with people and the ambient sounds,, plus background music . Next visit we may try the patio seating to gauge which dining space is just a bit less noisy. Overall, our impromptu visit to North Italia was a solid experience with the food and service shining through. We look forward to our next visit. read more

Words can not describe how absolutely delicious every bite of food truly was. The service was very nice. The restaurant itself was very pretty and clean. Im absolutely going back. My only critic is the price of nonalcoholic drinks and to go boxes should be better sealed containers with lids. We took our sautéed mushrooms for the table home and it made a mess in the bag (we lost so much deliciousness) Thank you so much! read more

Had an extremely great night eating here! Came here on a few days ago with my girlfriend. Extremely busy Friday night. Wait was initially 2-3 hours long but the host called us in 45 minutes later informing us our tables were ready. The host seemed so stressed because how busy it was but she was really sweet and professional. Kept tabs on us until our table was fully ready. We were seated outside and the ambiance was extremely nice. I was worried about how cold it would be but the heating lamps were very comfortable. The food was delicious. We ordered 2 gluten free pizzas and a gluten free chicken pesto pasta and it was fantastic. We both have severe gluten allergies and am so glad this place accommodates. The biggest thing about the dinner though was our server Cameron. He was extremely kind and patient with us. When we informed him of our allergies he went out of his way to make sure things were gluten free. Extremely grateful for his service, his hospitality, and his genuine concern for our safety, experience, and our happiness. What I appreciated the most is that when he didn't have a direct answer he would ask us to give him a minute while he found out what we needed. He definitely is very diligent and has extreme amounts of integrity. Most servers would just give us a plain answer without any explanation or not even show effort; but he most definitely did. To top it all off he was just extremely funny and it felt like I was talking to one of my best friends I've never even met. He radiates so much positivity that it blows on mind on how someone can be so positive yet so locked in during a busy dinner rush. I can definitely tell he cares about his coworkers too and about people in general because I've noticed that he ran other people's food and one table asked for his help and without hesitation he helped them. I heard him say "every table is my table" and that also just made me envoy this place for having an extremely hard working individual with a hell of a work ethic. I've worked in customer service roles for over 5 years and 2 years being a server myself, and 3 years in law enforcement settings; and man, I wish all my places had a Cameron. I'm not the type of person to write reviews, but I'm also not the type of person to not give credit where credit is due. He definitely made our night. We had a terrible week to be honest, a very stressful one and we wanted to go somewhere nice to help us escape from all the stressful and negativity that has been happening around our lives lately. So, coming on a Friday night being taken care by Cameron definitely helped a lot 10000%. Once again, had a wonderful night that definitely made up for all the bad things we have been going through. This was a very well needed night. Cameron thank you so much for your service. I hope that we see you again really soon and I'm in aw of the fact you have been working so much to provide for your family. Keep doing what you have been doing. Please keep being you because the world could really use the kindness, sincerity, love and positivity you have. read more

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this was my first time at the brea location and it did not disappoint! everything was so good as always. the service was amazing and we only had to wait like 2 minutes for table during friday lunch. same vibe inside as all the other locations. i've never left north italia disappointed and im happy they opened this location! read more

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Amazing, great food and service/ambiance was absolutely amazing. I definitely recommend to go there

This was truly one of the finest Italian restaurants I've ever experienced. The atmosphere was elegant, warm, and inviting, creating the perfect setting for a memorable meal. The service was impeccable--attentive, professional, and genuinely welcoming. Every dish was beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. From the ambiance to the cuisine and hospitality, everything was exceptional. I highly recommend this restaurant and look forward to returning." read more

Food is Great! Service is Swell! Ambiance is Fantastic and Terrific! Thank You North Italia, Everything it was all Delicious! read more

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I had dinner with a friend at North Italia last night. The ambience was beautiful, the restaurant and bar area were lovely. We enjoyed our food, but the only negative was that it was quite noisy. I would definitely attend again and try to find a table either on the patio or away from the bar area in a corner. Our waitress was absolutely amazing, her name is Ashley. She was so attentive and not annoying and was one step ahead of everything. I would definitely ask for her at my next visit. My meatball dish was outstanding and my friends shrimp scampi dish was also excellent. I ordered the Burrata and that was very good. Lots of other good dishes that I will try next time. Definitely would recommend this place. read more

Great food, and awesome service! Adriana was our waitress and she had great recommendations. Outdoor dining has great views and lighting. Bar looks very nice too read more

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I wanted to share feedback about my recent visit to North Italia, made special by our exceptional server Damon N. His wonderful attitude, courtesy, and professionalism stood out throughout our meal, and he clearly cared about providing excellent service. He had the attitude of someone who genuinely enjoys what they do, not just someone there to fulfill job duties. Damon N. took great care of our party with dedication and attentiveness, ensuring we had a fantastic dining experience. I really appreciate his excellent service and personal touches. The restaurant was great too--delicious, beautifully presented food and a nice variety on the menu for everyone in our group. read more

Four of us came for our first visit and we had such an amazing experience! Our bartender, Edwin, was attentive and so helpful. His recommendations were all amazing and he made us delicious cocktails! The ambiance was so inviting and airy. Decor was beautiful. We'll definitely be back to visit and say hi to our new favorite bartender! read more

North Italia - Our bartender Edwin - Italian Near Me - Brea, California

We came here for brunch for a friend's birthday and had an incredible experience! Our server was Nick and from the start was so nice and welcoming. We had a hard time choosing a wine we wanted but he was patient and super helpful in giving some choices and samples. We also had assistance from Warren and a few other staff who were super helpful! Will be recommending North Italia - Brea to all my friends who are celebrating or just wanting a nice place for brunch/lunch/dinner! read more

Dom was so fun at the bar. We also loved the cute girl that was brunette behind the bar. We were there on Monday. All waiters were so good and service was perfect. Loved the food. read more

I was really excited to try this new spot. It's located in the beautiful new courtyard at Brea Mall. Unfortunately the location and the restaruant decor (which is gorgeous) is where the positivity ended for me. The pasta, for me was a let down. I had the 'famous' lasagna which they hadn't run out of yet at 5pm when I sat down. Flavors were not deep and rich as I had hoped, and the casserole itself was luke warm and a bit over cooked. My wife had the 'house specialty' bolognese over their gluten free noodles which were not house-made as I was led to believe by other reviewers. Again I found the sauce to be lacking in depth of flavor and was a bit too cold for the occasion but the pasta was al dente. My kids tried to enjoy the fettucini alfredo with chicken but their noodles (rigatoni) were SO al dente they could not process them enough to swallow effectively. We requested a re-make and received the same firmness the second time around. They just ate the chicken off the top instead. We also had a side of their asparagus which came incredibly spicy and topped with parmesan which was not as described on the menu. When the waiter returned after about half of the side was eaten, he was surprised to hear this and opined that the cooks probably prepared it with the calabrian chili oil and parm usually reserved for the brussels sprouts. Rather than offer an apology and a re-make with the expected topping of chopped nuts and garlic he encouraged us to enjoy this "different take" on the side. It was so far gone by then I didn't push back, but an offer (at least) should have been made. In conclusion - North Italia is a beautiful space - modern and comfortable (+one star) - but the star of an Italian restaurant should always be the food, and in this regard I award them two stars. If you want italian food nearby that you'll want to remember the next day, check out https://www.yelp.com/biz/brunos-italian-kitchen-brea read more

I really tried to like this North Italia after having expectations from the Irvine location. But after the third time here, they clearly do not have their act together. The third (and possibly last) time we were here, we had a reservation at 8:30 on a weeknight. Got seated promptly, but then it was downhill from there. The restaurant was maybe less than half full so I thought Great! Maybe we'll get our food quickly this time. Nope! In fact it still took close to a half an hour. Then once again, like our previous visits, the pastas arrived lukewarm, the sauce was tasteless, and the steak add-on to the pasta was dry and overcooked. When we got a new plate of bolognese, it was even worse. Sauce was watered down or it appeared it was just taken out of the microwave! Ironically, the new plate only took 5 minutes to come out, so I had to wonder what is really going on back at the kitchen. In any case, a huge disappointment in the Brea location considering that I was really hoping to frequent this place since it's closer to home, and that I was hoping it would be just as good as the the Irvine location, having been there many times. read more

Came into North Italia on a whim while staying at a nearby Hilton, and I'm so glad we did. The ambiance was very welcoming and good vibes. We grabbed seats at the bar to catch a hockey playoff game, planning to just have a couple drinks and a light bite but the experience turned into so much more. Troy came over to check on us, made some great small plate recommendations, and even surprised us with a thoughtful touch that didn't go unnoticed. The charcuterie board was absolutely worth it highly recommend. Edwin and Hector were just as impressive attentive, personable, and genuinely engaging. You can tell when a team takes pride in what they do, and this crew made us feel completely welcomed from start to finish. As someone in the industry, I truly appreciate this level of hospitality. It's the little things that make a big difference, and this team nailed it. We'll definitely be back!!! Thank you so much Troy! We appreciate you and you represent your title well! read more

North Italia - Italian Near Me - Brea, California

Back again for a Saturday afternoon lunch. Once again, great service! We sat with Jamie A. and she was fab...thank you!

We recently went to north Italia the food was awesome. We got the chicken parm, which was pretty good. Jacob gave excellent service and great recommendations. We'll definitely be back! read more

Visited North Italia at the Brea Mall tonight with my sister and we were excited about trying the food at this upscale Italian restaurant... it was a packed house which to us is a good sign!!! The ambience was good and the service we received from the hostesses and our servers was very friendly and good as well but we were extremely disappointed in the food which is why I left 2 stars for their overall rating!!! Our drinks and meatball appetizer orders came very quickly (within minutes of us ordering) but the meatballs were warm... they weren't hot!!! In fact, none of the food we ordered tonight was hot!!! The meatballs were a good size, but were very bland and heavily dense and marinara sauce was bland too... no heat whatsoever and the cheese layer underneath the meatballs and marinara was so thick it had cooled down!!! For $18.00 this was a disappointing appetizer!!! I ordered their Sunday Lasagna and my sister ordered their Pig Pizza and we let our waitress know we wanted an extra plate so we can split and share everything!!! The only positive thing about the lasagna was it was made with fresh pasta, but it was salty and was meat heavy and again, no heat!!! When I tried to spoon out my half, the lasagna wasn't set and it bled out and spread all over the plate!!! That's when we noticed the sauce was watery too!!! Where's the thick sauce, seasoning and spices?!?! For $27.00 dollars, this was the most disappointing item we were served!!! A great Italian restaurant will have a show stopping signature lasagna and this was far from that!!! This lasagna seemed as though management decided a lasagna had to be on the menu just so the overall menu would appear complete!!! When you label something as Sunday Sauce or Sunday Lasagna, Italians know this is a meal full of love that takes all day to make and there just wasn't any love in this lasagna!!! The pizza was the only thing that had heat and spices, but it was horrible too!!! It's a very thin crust, almost New York style... you actually had to fold the pizza slices to eat them because when we tried to hold the pizza by the outer crust only, the pizza slices were soggy and drooped and the toppings fell off and the toppings weren't distributed evenly and the salami slices were cold!!! For $25.00 I can get an amazing pizza at Michaelangelo's in San Dimas!!! It's too bad there aren't great Italian restaurants in SoCal!!! My sister laughed and said my meatballs and marinara and my lasagna blows those at North Italia out of the water and I would happily put mine next to theirs any day of the week and twice on Sundays!!! If I had left a review for just the ambiance and the interactions we had with their hostesses and servers, I would've left North Italia 5 stars but their food was only worth 1 star!!! Maybe they have other food items that tastes great... my review is for their meatballs, Sunday lasagna and Pig pizza... you need to revisit those recipes North Italia!!! read more

Ok I've been to the Irvine location many times and food and service is always 5 star. Here the food is 5 stars but service is 1. First time we can we put our name on the waiting list and was told 40 minute wait. As we were waiting we noticed people who came after us get seated. So after 30 minutes, the wife asked about how much longer and the host says 40 minutes... so we went to the Melt instead as we were starving by then. Second time we came we had reservations. Once seated we waited awhile for our waiter. Apparently he was standing behind our table trying to figure something out with the computer. When he got to us, we knew what we wanted for our drinks and food so we ordered 2 appetizers and 3 main dishes. The wife's dish came out first just by itself. After some time the waiter finally comes by looks at our table then goes to the computer and says Oh Sh*t and goes back to the kitchen. He comes out and tells us he made an error about how our food was supposed to be sent to us. So we get our main dishes first with our appetizers right after. Food was great. We get our bill and noticed we were charged 4 main dishes not 3 so we got that corrected. He leaves us with the corrected bill and goes to another table to get their order. He comes back and he starts to type the order into the computer. He sees the wife with our payment and stops typing and goes straight to us to process our payment. I think the waiter didn't even get the other table's order in. So we finally paid and left. read more

The service here stinks. Our server last night was rude and inattentive. The food is good but doesn't make up for the poor service we had. We got the spicy rigatoni and the affogato for dessert. When we walked in my wife and I noticed kids sitting at the bar top and I was under the impression that restaurants with bars aren't allowed to have children sitting at the bar top. read more

Typically I don't go to new restaurants until they've been open for at least 6 months. I want to give time to build a good routine and ensure they have time to understand what a good experience should be for customers. However, I took a chance and went to North Italia when they had only been open 2 weeks. I was so pleasantly surprised. It was very busy but they seated us pretty quickly. The service was excellent. The server gave us multiple recommendations because the restaurant brought them all in to taste everything before it opened and they could speak from experience. The ambience was lovely and we loved all our dishes. Couldn't have had a better time. Highly recommend. read more

There were gnats everywhere trying to get our food. The no alcohol drinks were too different! The desert was

Waited 30 minutes for our food to come out, and when it finally arrived it was cold. We sent it back, only for it to come out cold again. At that point I was so hungry I didn't even bother sending it back again. Really disappointing experience overall. read more

I had 1145 reservations I couldn't find I had to wait a half an hour and then when I did get a seat it was in the bar cocktails were $23 pizza was $25 for two of us $60 for lunch. the food was OK. read more

Love this restaurant, went to the one in Irvine all the time my first time at the brea location. Service was amazing and atmosphere is always on point. read more

First time here and I loved it! Food was good, service was good, and the whole vibe of the restaurant was so nice! We ordered the garlic bread (loved it!) And between my daughter and I, we got the Cesar salad with salmon and Margherita pizza with pesto. All so good! I will definitely go back to try the other things =) No pictures this time because we were so hungry we dove right in! read more

We have been waiting for this place to open and the first chance we got we had finally arrived to north Italia and let me tell you guys the service we got was amazing our servers name was Shay and she made the experience that much better. The ambiance was very relaxing. But the tables can feel crowded as we were seated outside. We ordered an abundance amount of food the order consisted of Caesar salad with pulled chicken, this was one of the best Caesar I have had in a while. The salad was creamy and mixed well, the flavor was bright and peppery. I would definitely recommend. Margarita pizza was a little wet, the flavor was average and crust was fluffy but could have used a couple of minutes in the oven. My friend ordered the chicken parmesan with a side of Alfredo pasta she said it was delicious the sauce was complimented the crispy cutlet perfectly. My other friend ordered a pig pizza which I was super impressed that they offered GF crust the pizza, it had a heaping amount of pepperoni Calabrese, sopressatta, Italian sausage and mozzarella. As for dessert we ordered the Brookie Gelato Sundae. It was an average sundae, nothing stood out from it. Bombolini was divine was light and fluffy and perfectly fried we asked for filling on the side blueberry jelly was sweet and delicious. With the overall experience with the restaurant the prices are not cheap or affordable for an average dinner out if you do come be prepared to pay a good amount. read more

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Waited 1 hour for our table after being told 25 minutes. No problem, get seated, order. 3 items not available. Fine. They recommend an alternative. That isnt available after they suggest it they go to prep the order then they tell us bad luck. Order soup. Soup order in. No soup available. Manager comes to apologize, offers a $50 gift card and free deserts for the table. 930pm comes and only an appetizer and 1 drink order has been served. Next thing everyone vacates the kitchen but Noone communicates to customers. There is a CO2 leak. We decide to leave and have to goto the waiter to find out what's going on and let them know. The kicker, they actually acted like they cared, took down our phone # and assure Manager will reach out. 1 week later, No call. At least the Hat across the street had better service read more

North Italia was not that good. I looked at the photos and they looked super good, but the food was disappointing. Service was okay. But the waiters didn't have a quick enough response and didn't know things that we were asking. read more